Little Duck
by sneakers in the snow
Summary: A compilation of short one-shots featuring the Everdeen sisters before the Games.
1. Bets & Lists

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Hunger Games' nor its characters, as they belong to Suzanne Collins._

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**Bets & Lists**

Prim's small hand remains locked in mine as we walk down to the fence that leads to the 'forbidden' woods. As we walk, I constantly look down at her to check if she's all right. Sometimes she gets frightened about being caught when it comes to going to the woods. I always tell her to not be afraid and to always be careful. She always replies with a sad yet meaningful smile.

Today we're going hunting. Gale and I had a bet. If he went to try and convince Rory to hunt - apparently he's a natural -, I would try and convince Prim. And if either of them were bad, Gale or me would lose. It was an odd bet, really. But I already know Prim is going to do well. Still, she seemed reluctant when I first told her about it. Once we're at the fence, I tell Prim to be careful with it. And she does. She waits for me at the other side.

_Fence dodging, check_, I think. I created a small list of things Prim has get right in my mind. First thing's fence dodging.

Once I'm at the other side with her, I grab her hand and guide her to the woods. My eyes are locked to the forest before I look down at her again. She looks a bit scared. I bite the inside of my cheek nervously. I sigh afterwards. "Don't worry, Prim," I try to comfort her. "You're going to do great."

She looks up at me. The expression on her face looks uncertain. To me, Prim is amazing at everything that I'm not amazing at. Like making friends. I've always been terrible at that.

Finally we reach the forest. I look left and right and head to the right side, going deeper into the forest. The deeper we are, the more food we get. Not to mention the farther we are from being caught. I again look down at my sister. I know she's trying to hold back a complaint or a question. But it escapes her lips anyway.

"What if we get lost?" she asks.

I laugh a little bit. "No need to worry," I say, gently letting go of her hand as I look around the forest. "I've been here before."

She sighs deeply and sits on a log nearest to me. "Okay…"

I give her a small smile and look down at my stuff. My bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a knife to skin the animal. While I sling the quiver over my shoulder, I look at Prim again. She's picking flowers that grow at the side of the log. I chuckle and look around the woods again.

"So… What do we do now?" she asks from behind me.

I turn around to face her. "We wait. You know, for the animals to come out." And so we do. _Waiting, check_. While she picks flowers, I sit next to her on the log and continue to eye the forest.

After five minutes, though, a small rabbit hops out the bushes. Quickly I stand up and set my bow. Prim watches me from behind. I release the arrow and watch as it pierces through the small rabbit's body. A high-pitched gasp sounds from behind me and I turn around. I find Prim's eyes brimming with tears. She drops the bouquet of flowers from her hands and runs over to the rabbit.

She kneels down and mourns the dead thing. "M-Maybe w-we can s-save him!" she says under her cries. "W-We s-still have time!"

My eyebrows furrow together in confusion. I sigh and sadly leave the third and final thing in the list in my mind that reads 'Calm reaction' blank.

And now I know that I've lost the bet.


	2. Evil Feline

_A/N__: Thank you to KTstoriesandstuff and NervousPurpleHairSpray for your sweet words. That kind of stuff always makes me happy, especially since this is my first story. _

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"_The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay_." - _The Hunger Games (Page 3)_

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**Evil Feline**

"Please, Katniss?" she asks for about the hundredth time.

I sigh and repeat again, "No."

She frowns and deadpans. The scrawny and quite hideous thing squirms in her arms. For the past fifteen minutes, Prim has been trying to wheedle me into letting her keep the cat. A very ugly cat, in my case. With its mashed-in nose, half of its ear missing, the rotting squash colour in its eyes, I don't think I've ever seen something _that_ sickening. But the real problem is that the last thing I need is another mouth to feed.

I sigh and flump onto the couch. Prim remains still and silent. I eye her carefully, as if I know she's going to-

Prim's blue eyes are shiny and a second after, tears start cascading her cheeks. "_Please _Katniss," the way she says 'please' makes my stomach feel like it's in knots, along with guilt building up in me. "He won't be any bother to you! Please, please, please?"

The tears start getting harder and harder and I can see that they're making her cheeks pink. She starts to pout and I stare at the filthy vermin in her arms. Even the cat is pouting. At least, I think it is. Maybe it's just the guilt forming in my stomach. I look back at Prim, who has hope mixing with her tear-filled eyes.

Finally, I nod. "Fine."

Her face brightens and she nuzzles her face in the cat's buttercup fur, wiping the tears from her already-stained cheeks. She then wraps her arms around me. "Thank you, Katniss! You're the best sister _ever_!" she says. My heart warms up at her words, but the cat makes me sort of uncomfortable. Once Prim pulls away and stands up to head to bed, the cat hisses at me.

My eyes widen slightly. I can even imagine the cat giving me an evil smile. "You're no buttercup," I mutter under my breath.

Prim suddenly turns around. I expect her to confront me for insulting her new pet, but she says something else that surprises me. "Buttercup! That's a _perfect _name for him!" she exclaims, beaming at me then the cat. "Your name is Buttercup!"

I can see myself looking odd as my mouth hangs open. Did I just _name _the _cat_? But I am distracted when Prim calls me again.

"Katniss, I think Buttercup needs a bath!" she calls from up the stairs. I don't know how to bathe a cat, but there is a different thing I can do to 'Buttercup' in a bucket of water. My lips form a smirk.


	3. Doctor Primrose

**Doctor Primrose**

A rough and deep cough escapes my mouth. It's the kind of cough that would sound that it's coming from deep in your chest. I lay in bed, looking up at the plain dusty ceiling. My mother refused to let me hunt due to the cold weather this December, also because I already came down with the occasional fever. Surprising thing is, she actually got out of bed this time. To make me some soup, at least.

The very odd thing is that I let her. Usually I'd expect to push her away, but the look on her face told me that she _really _wanted to. Plus, I knew it was probably the last time she'd do that for me. When she returns, she places the hot broth on my lap. Of course, it isn't like the most fanciest soup. It's just turnips and carrots in hot water.

I take the first sip as Prim comes skipping towards me. She takes a spot next to my feet. Up close, I notice a stethoscope hanging around her neck. It's probably my mother's, being a daughter of apothecary and all. Still my mother rarely uses it. Only when a _very _sick person comes knocking on our door.

"Hey, little duck," I say before sniffling. "If I were you, I'd step back a little bit."

She giggles and shakes her head. She puts each earpiece of the stethoscope on her both her ears and grabs the bell. She places it on my chest. Next she remains silent.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

She laughs again and removes the earpieces out of her ears. "I'm the doctor!" she says happily.

I put on a confused look, but after growing up watching my mother treat other patients, Prim has been wanting to be a doctor. Mother had told her a couple things of apothecary and she wants to learn more. Distracting me from my thoughts, Prim repeats what she did a couple seconds ago but asks me to breathe.

I can't help but laugh. Still I follow her orders.

After she's done, she smiles at me then pulls out a pencil from her dress' pocket. She holds out her other hand as if there is a clipboard there. "It seems that you've come down with a fever," she says, her eyes focussing on the imaginary clipboard. That's when I let out a small laugh, which only turns into another cough.

"And your coughs are very wet." she adds, pretending to be timid. She shakes the pencil in her hand, like she is jotting down a note about my condition.

The silence then returns as she picks up the spoon in the bowl of soup. She holds it out to me and nods her head at it. I laugh again but I still take the spoonful of mashed turnips and carrots.

"Just keep eating, and you'll be just fine in a couple days!" she finishes. She leans in and plants a kiss on my forehead.

A worried look appears on my face as a sneeze escapes her nose. Next thing I know, she's laying beside me, her nose pink and her throat sore. We cough and sneeze together as my mother treats us with more turnip and carrot soup.

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_A/N: Not my personal favourite. Please review._


	4. Early Morning Snacks

**Early Morning Snacks**

When I wake, I peel off the covers and slip on my hunting boots and jacket. I pull my hair back into a simple braid and head out the door without waking my mother and Prim. I lumber to the kitchen to get breakfast, only to hear someone - or _something _- rummaging around in our drawers. When I come closer, the sight of blonde hair already makes it too obvious.

"Prim, what are you doing up so early?" I ask.

Her blue eyes are flushed in the darkness as they peek up the drawer. "I… I had a nightmare." she whispers loud enough for me to hear.

No surprise. Her nightmares recur often, especially since it's her first reaping in a couple of months. I can't really blame her. I have nightmares of my own. The kinds that are too terrible to explain or think about. Trying to ignore my old thoughts, I eye her for a moment, not knowing what else to say. But there actually is.

"Did you get hungry?" I ask quietly.

The sound of carrots crunching tells me she was. Even though it's dark, I can pick up the sense that her face is turning beet red. I try to hold in a laugh, but it escapes my lips anyway. She, on the other hand, frowns at me but takes a bite of the carrot in her hand. Sighing, I walk over her and pat the top of her head softly.

"After you're done, go back to bed, okay?" I reassure her.

She looks up at me from her carrot. "Okay…"

I'm about to leave only when I realize that I've forgotten to eat breakfast. So I walk back to my sister and take the carrot from her hand teasingly. I take a bite out of it and hand it back to her.

"Hey!" she whines.

I smile at her. "'Hey' yourself." I say, leaning in to kiss the top of her head.

She smiles back and hands me the half-eaten carrot. I happily take it and head out.

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_A/N: Thank you to sierradawn621 for the motivating words. Please review._


	5. Shoelaces

**Shoelaces**

The two of us remain silent as we head down to the Seam. I ignore the quiet giggles and remarks about me being a 'Seam girl' while we walk. My eyes are locked down at our feet. They step at the same time, which I can tell Prim finds fascinating. Then we stay silent again. Until Prim speaks up, her small voice surrounding almost everywhere where we're standing.

"Can you teach me how to tie shoelaces?" she asks, her face bright and flooding with hope.

My lips purse together as if I don't know what to say. Really I don't. I don't like speaking in public. But it's definitely something I shouldn't ponder about. Instead, I sigh and kneel down, looking down at her already-tied shoelaces. I tug on the right loose end and it unties almost in a second. I instruct her slowly and quietly, tying the laces slowly as she watches.

"Do you think you can tie it like his?" she asks in between my instructions. She nods to the direction behind me; at a boy with blonde hair. I look down at his shoes and find them double-knotted. I look back at my sister and sigh again.

"Okay…" I say, tying an extra knot atop of the other.

When I'm finished, I stand up straight again and she smiles at me, her face brightening our gloomy surroundings. She looks down at her tied shoes, tapping them together playfully. She then looks at mine. I give her a knowing look but allow her to do so anyway.

She kneels down and unties my shoelaces and starts to tie them slightly different than I had. Instead hers is much more tighter that they make my shoes feel like they're three sizes too small.

As soon as she's finished, they're in a tight knot. I smile at her.

"Thank you." I say, taking her hand again.

She looks proud at the knot that she has created. Seconds later we head home, our shoes not daring to untie again. But once we get home, the difficulty is advanced as we fight to get our shoes off.


	6. Don't Laugh

**Don't Laugh**

I reach home with my hands full with dead groosling. Already Prim and my mother sit at the table, waiting for me to come home with their dinner. Without a word I hand the groosling to my mother and take a seat beside Prim at our small table. "Hey, little duck," I greet her as soft as I can.

I can tell she's not in the mood. Neither am I. Really I'm never in the mood, but that's thing. Prim always has a way to cheer me up.

But she doesn't answer my greeting. Usually she'd smile back or even give me a big hug. Instead she sighs and fiddles with her stubby finger nails she often bites when she's nervous. Mother looks down at her. To my suspicion, I think it would have to do with her.

"What happened to her?" I whisper to my mother.

Prim eyes us carefully. I can feel it.

My mother just shrugs and looks back at what she's doing. Turning back to Prim, she stares at me with a stern look I've never seen on her. She's usually very perky. Today I know something is bugging her. And when something's bugging her, it bugs me. Whatever it is, the ambition growing inside of me escapes.

Smirking a bit, I poke her stomach from under the table. She gives out a light giggle but drops the smile soon afterwards and continues to look down at her hands. I raise an eyebrow. Tickling always made her happier.

"Prim, what's wrong?" I finally ask her after a couple of seconds.

It takes her about twenty to answer my question. "Nothing…" she replies quietly and slowly. I've never heard her lie before. So hearing her tone, I know that she's lying.

"Yeah, sure." I say, trying not to sound too cold.

She still remains silent.

"I'm going to get that answer off you whether you like it or not." I whisper into her ear teasingly.

She turns to me and smirks. Faster than a squirrel, she hops of her chair and runs off. Before I know it so am I. I chase after her around the house. Even though the house isn't very large, she _is_ small enough to leap under the bed in the bedroom. When I reach the room, I spot the two braids peeking out under the stand.

I laugh and lay on the ground, flat on my stomach. She stares at me, her cheek pressed on the floor, her arms pressed against her sides. It takes me a while to notice that she's smiling at me. I smile back at her but I drop it.

"Just tell me what's up." I mumble.

She sighs again and lifts her head off the ground, resting it on her tiny knuckles. "Well…" she starts.

"Well?" I repeat for her, rolling the 'L', persuading her to tell me more.

"Promise you won't laugh?" she asks.

My eyebrows furrow together in confusion. "Laugh? Why would I laugh?"

"Because I '_went_' on the floor…" she says, her face turning a bright shade of red.

It takes me a while to understand what she means about 'went'. And when I do, my eyes widen as the laughter comes to escape my mouth. My laughs make Prim turn a very bright red and she buries her face in her hands. I reach out as if to say sorry, but the laughter gets a hold of me that it's hard control myself. It shocks me as well; I've never laughed in a long time.

But my chuckles suddenly stop as I hear sniffles and weeps coming from Prim's way. Calming down, I reach out and grab her hand. I remove her hands off her face and once again we're face to face. The tears drip from her cheeks and on the floors, trailing down to my direction.

"You promised to not laugh," she mumbles.

I sigh. "I know. Then again I've never been good at keeping promises," I reply, trying to see if it makes her feel better. But it doesn't. I look down. A thing I do to try to think. Then I get something.

"Hey," I begin. She looks up at me again. "I 'went' on the floor when I was little, too." I say.

Her face brightens a bit. "Really?"

I nod. I remember when it happened. I was about six, or so. I suppose I didn't expect Prim to do so since I was six and she's nine. Well, eight. Turning nine in a few days. Distracting me, I hear her giggle in front of me.

Her giggles turn into very loud laughter. The tears that were once wet are dry and her face turns pink as the laughs get intense that I almost start laughing at myself. But it almost makes me get angry.

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_A/N: Teehee. I apologize for the slight hiatus. I had a very bad case of writer's block. I hope a longer drabble will make up for it. _


	7. Lullabies

**Lullabies **

I sit with Prim on the cold, rickety floor. We sit in silence because there are no words to actually speak of. Mother didn't dare to get out of bed this morning after I left, as Prim told me. Of course, I didn't expect her to. Neither of us did, really. But it made Prim look very… Disappointed, in a way that got me in the same mood.

We stare blankly at the dusty and almost-broken floorboards. My bare feet caresses the cold floor as my fists clench at the hinge of my shirt. Staring at the floor somehow reminds me of the times where it wasn't the same. Where it was happier and brighter, even though we lived in the same dark place as we do now.

The memories make the tears build up in my eyes, but I suck it in once Prim starts to speak.

"Katniss, why do lullabies make us happier?" she asks, her blue eyes staring at my piercing grey ones meaningfully.

I sigh. I honestly didn't expect her question, nor for her to speak because she was so sad a few seconds before. Lullabies, to my knowledge, make people calmer it makes them drift off without any trouble.

My father always told me when I was younger that lullabies hold a power stronger than anything in the world.

"_Lullabies hold something more powerful than anything. And that's love._" he said.

And that's what I tell Prim.

The corners of her lips quirk up in a reply to my saying. It seems as though she has understood something that took a while for me to understand. The only way I started to understand was when after father passed, and my eyes turned onto the protection of my mother and Prim. Right now, my eyes are literally on Prim. And she me.

"Can you sing?" she asks after two minutes.

I haven't sung to her in a while, and somehow it sends guilt forming in knots in my stomach. Still I fight it once I ask her, "The usual?"

She smiles and nods. She climbs onto the bed and slips under the covers.

I reply by smiling and I sit next to her. I open my mouth to begin the song.

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow _

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._"

My tone becomes much quieter as Prim's eyelids begin to drop though she fights them open. It makes me smile a little bit. I reach out and brush a piece of her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead lightly as finally she allows her eyelids to shield her blue eyes.

"Goodnight, little duck." I whisper.

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_A/N: This definitely differs the others, as you can see. I thought I'd try it._


	8. A Change in Thought

**A Change in Thought**

Once I get home with the night's supper, I kick off my hunting boots and sit at the table beside Prim. I slide the day's catch over to my mother. It's a day like any other. I get up early in the morning, meet with Gale in the woods, shoot an innocent animal, and come back home. I even know every single part of what I do.

"Hi Katniss!" Prim greets me warmly, a big smile appearing on her lips.

I smile back. "Hey, little duck," I reply. Honestly Prim is the only person to get a smile out of me.

"I made some cheese from Lady today! Do you think we can go to the bakery and…" she trails off as if she's distracted. Something tells me she is, because her eyes are focussed at something close to me, but not meeting my eyes at all. I follow her stare but I can't seem to find what's she's staring at.

"Prim, what's wrong?" I ask.

Her blue eyes go from the usual happy-looking to a very frightened and worried look. Her hand goes up, and she points at a small, moving thing on my shoulder. A millipede, it is. I chuckle escapes my mouth as the millipede becomes trapped between my thumb and index finger. I hold it out to Prim, which only makes her back away from it.

I laugh again. "Prim, it's only a millipede," I say.

She stammers. "Does it- Does it bite?" she asks, her tremulous lips making her words even more shaky.

"No," I reply, bringing it closer to Prim's gaze. She backs away even further.

"Katniss, stop! Can't you just… Kill it?" she whines.

I fake a frown and place the bug on the table. "Why? It's an innocent creature… It doesn't deserve death, does it?" I ask her teasingly. She wrinkles her nose in reply. The millipede starts to get back on its feet and attempts to crawl away. I shield its way out with my hands.

"You're right…" she says finally, her face becoming sympathetic.

I smirk. "No, _you're_ right," I say, my fists in a tight ball. I raise it gently and bang it against the table, killing the bug almost immediately.

A whimper escapes Prim's mouth once she catches sight of the squished millipede pressed against the wood. "Katniss, why'd you do that?" she asks.

I shrug and laugh. "You asked me to."

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_A/N: Based on a prompt idea from __KTstoriesandstuff__. I do prompt requests now, so you can send me a PM or leave it in the reviews. _


	9. Cakes

**Cakes**

I'm awaken by the early-risen, bubbly Prim. "Katniss! Can we go now? Can we, can we?"

"Go where?" I ask tiredly.

She giggles. "To the bakery, silly!"

I sit up, stretching my body as Prim hops off the bed excitedly. I have promised her we'd be going to the bakery today, especially since it's her eleventh birthday. We've been doing this for three years now, so I guess it's also a thing I look forward to. After I get dressed and braid my hair, I make Prim do the same.

Afterwards, we step outside into the warm morning air. We head down to town, passing by many miners and workers as we go. Before I know it we're in town, heading to the bakery.

As we walk, Prim goes on and on about the cakes we saw last year and the year before. And some other stuff. "Remember the one with lilies? Or- Or the ones with carrots on them? Wouldn't it be funny if they put up one with turnips?" she says, breathless from skipping ahead of me.

Finally we reach the bakery. Prim practically jumps out of her skin when she sees it. She runs excitedly to the window, looking for the new cakes on display. I chuckle and catch up with her.

"Did you find the new ones yet?" I ask her.

She doesn't even look at me. "No, not yet," she replies almost disappointedly. Her hands go up, examining the cakes like she's a detective.

That's when two boys, one tall one and one who is slightly shorter than the other, appear carrying a new cake. I turn to Prim, whose face is brightening up at the sight of the cake.

The pastry is decorated with an elaborate blue icing, and little blue flowers encircling the cake. I can tell Prim is just as fascinated as I am, because blue is her absolute favourite colour, as she has told me about a dozen of times. The two boys place the cake carefully on the stand, right in front of Prim's little nose.

"Wow," I hear her say. I chuckle again.

Suddenly the two boys return with another cake in their hands. When the put it down, Prim comes to examine it. It is painted on with white icing, and a purple flower decorates the whole thing, making it look prettier.

"Is that- Is that a turnip?" she asks suddenly, her eyes twinkling.

My eyebrows furrow together in confusion. "A turnip? That looks nothing like a-"

She turns her head, facing me, her eyes still twinkling.

"Yes, Prim. It's a turnip."

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_A/N: Based on a prompt from __Saphirabrightscale__, I just added a couple of things. I managed to update early, since I finished this one right after I published the last chapter. Then I made some tweaks today. _


	10. Mistake

**Mistake**

The pain in my left hand increases as I get to the house's doorstep. I swing the door open with my uninjured hand and slam it shut. I start to curse under by breath, knowing Prim would be up by now and she would hear me.

"Stupid damn knife. Damn rabbit blood. Why do you have be so goddamn slippery? Huh? Son of a-"

"Hi Katniss!" Prim cuts me off, running toward me and throwing her arms around my waist. I hug her back only with my right hand. She pulls away a second after.

"Were you talking to yourself?" she asks, giggling.

"Um, no…" I say, kicking off my hunting boots. She heard me?

She giggles again. "Yes you were! I heard you!"

"No, I didn't. Prim, did you sleep well? Maybe you're just half asleep… Go back to bed. Go, go." I stammer, gently pushing her over back to the direction of our bedroom. She does as I say anyway, and I can't help but feel glad.

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_The next day…_

* * *

Someone shakes me awake, and I stare into the eyes of Prim once I do. "Prim, go back to sleep," I moan tiredly.

"No!" she giggles. "Why are you so goddamn tired? Get up, you son of a!"

Her words make me snap wide awake. "Prim, where'd you learn to say that?"

She smiles at me brightly. "I heard you yesterday."

I swallow hard. Now I know to never cuss when I'm at home or when I'm with Prim.

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_A/N: I don't really like this one. Anyway, if you haven't read my profile, I won't be updating for about two or three weeks since I'm going on vacation and then I'll be too busy with school._


	11. Bet Number Two

**Bet Number Two**

I slip in the lake and hold my hand out to my shivering little sister. "Come on. It's safe," I urge her.

She shivers even more. "Are you-Are you _sure _it's safe?" she asks.

I smirk and bob my head under water, to prove to her that what we're about to do is completely safe. Once I reach the surface again, her eyes are trained on me as if I'm a monster or something. I sigh and climb out of the lake. "Come on, Prim. Look," I say, sitting down on a boulder near the lake and dipping my leg in it. "See? It's completely safe."

She hesitates for a moment, but a second later she gives in and sits beside me. She does the same thing as me, only with her toe instead of her whole leg.

"I did it! Let's go to Gale's now!"

She stands up and speed-walks over to the direction of Gale's house, only to be stopped by me grabbing her wrist gently. "You at least have to get your hair wet," I mumble to her.

She sighs then looks at me with a knowing look. "Did you make another bet with Gale again?"

I open my mouth to disagree, but since I'm a terrible liar, I say "Yes. Now can you _please _just get in the lake?"

She sighs again and heads back over to our spot at the rock again. I follow behind her except I slip back in the lake, doing the same thing I did earlier. I hold out my hand for her to grab it, and she does. She shuts her eyes tight as if petrified and slips in with me, the water just at her shoulders.

"Am I doing better than Rory yet?" she asks, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering even more.

"Hmm, you know, I'm not actually sure yet," I say before grabbing her hand. "But if can just put your head in the water and kick, then I'm _sure _you're doing better." I wink at her.

She takes a deep breath as if she's ready, but I can tell she isn't because she shivers even more and her chin hasn't even touched the surface yet.

"It's cold! I can't do it!" she whines, standing up straight again.

I laugh and let go of her hand. "Relax, Prim. Just watch me first."

She nods in reply. I hold my arms in front of me and point the tip of my fingers downwards, towards the water. I take a deep breath and surface dive in the water. I start to kick my legs in demonstration and five seconds after, I resurface and look at Prim behind me.

Except she's not there.

I look around me and suddenly, I find a figure with two blonde braids running.

"Prim!" I call. She ignores me. I quickly swim back to shore and run after my sister barefooted. I reach her in a second, grabbing her by the waist and carrying her back to the lake.

I slip back in the lake with her still in my arms tightly. I place her back in the water and grab her shoulders gently. "We aren't leaving this place until you can do what I showed you!"

She opens her mouth to argue with me, but instead shuts it tightly and nods. I sigh with relief. "Good. Promise you won't run away like that again?"

She nods again and holds out her pinky, also known as her use of keeping promises. I wrap my own around hers and I demonstrate what I did moments before again, and once I resurface, more relief comes to my stomach as I find her still standing where she was before, biting her lip nervously.

A moment later, when I _think _she's ready, she does the same as I do. She kicks and kicks until her head pops out of the water again, taking a deep breath before screaming for help. I immediately start to panic.

I head towards her. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Something's got my toe! Help! Get it off!" she screams.

My heartbeat increases and I grab her like she's still a baby and sit her down at the rock again. I look at her toes and smirk once I spot what 'got' her.

Her eyes are still shut, until I hold up what 'got' her.

A piece of seaweed.

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_A/N: Based on a prompt from again, __KTstoriesandstuff__. I'm back and ready to write more._


	12. Shirts

**Shirts**

"What's wrong, Prim?" I ask my down-looking little sister after I get home.

She sighs and looks up at me. "The girls at school… They…" she trails off and looks down at her hands again.

"'They' what?"

Her lips shake and then looks up at me, her eyes brimming with a bit of tears. "They were making fun of what I was wearing! And… They said I smelled weird!" she cries. I find her remark odd, because our school here in 12 requires uniform.

"Why? What were you wearing?" I ask anyways.

"A shirt… Just like everyone else's, so I didn't see what was so funny about it…"

"So you were wearing uniform?" I ask her another question.

She nods. "Sort of. It was pretty big, and it _was_ so I guess that's why they were laughing."

I wrinkle my nose in confusion. A big shirt? Why would she wear a big shirt? And where did she get it? I wonder… "Prim, were you wearing _my _shirt?"

She ponders for a moment and then her eyes widen. "That's why they said I smelled weird!"

I lift an eyebrow. "So you're saying I smell… Weird?"

She giggles and shakes her head. "No, not you! Your shirts!"

"What?" I say. "You know what? Never mind, but what I really wanted to know is why would you wear my shirt."

She stops giggling and then thinks again. She rubs her chin playfully and taps her head. "Hmm… I think I just grabbed a random shirt and thought it was mine… Wait, what was _your _shirt doing in _my _pile?" she asks.

I lift both my eyebrows and think. Long story short, don't ever try to outsmart Prim.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it's short. I'm quite busy so I just rushed this one._


	13. Fright

**Fright**

As Prim braids my hair - she had asked me if she could practice braiding on me -, I stare outside the open window. It's pretty dirty and a bit broken, but I can still see the outside of District 12. I watch the rain as it hit's the ground. It hasn't rained here in a while. It started to rain just this morning, forcing me to stay home and out of the cold rain.

Really it was Prim who had forced me. Mother hasn't even gotten up out of bed yet.

"I don't want you to be sick again, because that'll only make me sick again too!" Prim had whined this morning, pulling me from the door.

Suddenly, loud thunder makes me go back to reality. I hear her gasp behind me. The braid becomes loose as she lets go of my hair, hiding behind me. I feel her shaking from my back, and I turn around to face her. "It's okay, Prim. It's just thunder. It's not going to hurt you." I try to soothe her.

She shakes her head. "But-But my friend's cousin's aunt's friend's niece was struck by thunder and…" she trails off, almost as if she's too frightened to say the rest. There's no reason for her to tell me the rest. I already know what she means to say anyway.

I sigh and rub her back. We stay quiet for a minute or two. Until she asks me a question.

"Are you afraid of anything, Katniss?"

My eyes narrow at the question. I start to ponder about it, until I give her a nod. "Of course. Everyone has to be afraid of something, Prim."

Her lips purse together. "Then what are you scared of?"

I bite the inside of my cheek while I think. All I can think of is spiders, although I'm not at all afraid of those. What else? "Well, actually, I don't know yet. But I'll get back to you on that when I can."

She blows a raspberry in denial, but before she can say anything, she stops herself.

* * *

_The next day…_

* * *

When I wake, I know it isn't raining. So I do what I normally do. I get dressed in my hunting clothing, slip on my boots, and I start to head out when-

"Boo!"

"Ah!" an unusual scream slips out of my mouth as Prim hops out from behind the door. She laughs hysterically at me.

"So you're scared, right?" she asks.

I give out a playful chuckle and point to the bed. "Get back into bed. It's too early for you to scare people."


	14. Not a Laughing Matter

_A/N: This would probably be the most weirdest thing I've ever written. Oh well... _

* * *

**Not a Laughing Matter**

I jerk up from my seat at the kitchen table as I hear a terrified scream. I run to our 'washroom' and I find Prim looking frightened as ever as she looks down at her pajama pants.

She stares at it shivering.

"What's the matter?" I ask her, reaching out to stroke her loose hair.

She shows me her pajamas, revealing a red stain at the part where-

"Oh no…" I mutter underneath.

Her eyes widen. "'Oh no'? What do you mean 'oh no'? What's happening, Katniss? Is there something wrong with me?" she blurts out, her eyes filling with tears.

I start to panic a bit. Our mother had never spoken to her about… This. She had spoken to me only a few months before our father died. Not to mention we studied it at school. How am I supposed to explain it to Prim, who hasn't even turned twelve yet and school hasn't even started? I look at the door, hoping my mother would come in to explain it. She is the daughter of an apothecary, after all.

But she doesn't. At least, I know she won't.

So I take a deep breath, and kneel down to be face to face with Prim. Already the tears are streaming down her cheeks and making them pink as she tries to avoid looking at her pajamas.

"Umm… So…" is all I can get out. I stare at her, because I don't know what to say. I was pretty grossed out when mother had spoken to me about it when I was Prim's age. Before I realized it was a part of life when we studied it at school.

And that's when I ask her, "What did you do at P.E. today, Prim?"

She sniffles. "W-We h-had to r-run ar-round the f-field… But…" she says, taking a deep breath. "Why-Why is-is it b-bleeding?" she hiccups.

I try to hold a laugh. It wouldn't be healthy to make her panic. It will only make our little situation worse.

"It just does, Prim," I reply. I see the look on her face before quickly adding "Don't worry. It happens to everyone. Well, to the girls, at least…"

She sniffles and wipes the tip of her nose with the back of her hand. "Really?"

I nod. "Yeah."

And then, like what I had not expected, she asks me the most uncomfortable-making question _anyone _has _ever _asked me. "Does yours bleed too?"

But that's when I burst out laughing instead, before nodding oddly.


	15. Lessons

**Lessons**

As soon as we get back home, Prim already gets started on her homework. She had used to ask our mom for help, but after mom literally clocked out, she stopped. It seems a bit odd, since I was always so used to watching Prim giggle as mom 'accidentally' tickle her with the wrecked pencil that she's still using, though it's been nearly three years since my dad and I had gotten it at the Hob.

I take a glance at her from my seat. She nibbles her lip as she counts her fingers nervously. I remember that technique mom taught it to her. She always got confused, until mom came in and helped her. Maybe she got used to mom helping her, because as I eye her, she glances at me back, and then back at her homework.

For a moment I look away, and I feel her hope-filled eyes on me again. I can't really blame her. No one in our family was good in mathematics except for my mother. I wasn't so bad; I did have troubles until I turned eleven. When that _certain situation _came up. Finally I look back at my ten-year-old sister.

I push my chair further to her so that I can see her work. "Hey, need help, Little Duck?"

She looks back up at me again, still biting on her lower lip. "Can you?" she asks, her eyes turning even more hopeful.

I give her a small grin and nod. "Of course."

* * *

A few minutes into the work, my hands find my head with frustration setting in.

"No, no! That's not how mom does it!" Prim exclaims.

I give out a annoyed groan.

"You do it like this," she says, scrawling down a few random things on her paper. "See?" she shows me the paper in her hand, even though I'm not really paying much attention to it.

I can really see my face turning a bright red. I try so hard not to blow up at her, because who can really get mad at her? She's basically an angel. So I bite the insides of my cheek, and let a breath to calm myself down. I look back at her, meeting her blue eyes that seem to be filled with frustration too.

"Okay. I've learned my lesson." I reply simply, holding out my two hands sarcastically.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was super busy with school and other things that interfered with writing a new drabble. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but there's only five more of these. Also, i__n reply to an anon, yes, it wasn't very funny. That's just because this isn't supposed to be one of those stories that had you laughing so hard your neighbour would hear you. It's meant to just put at least a small smile on your face._


	16. Mother-Mode

**Mother-Mode**

I walk over to the outside of Prim's classroom and wait for her to come out. I expect her to take long, because she sure has a lot of friends. But she doesn't. After about two minutes, her head peeks out the door and looks right to left. She finds me on the left, and quickly runs to me. She wraps her arms around my waist before I gently pull away from our expected embrace.

We begin to walk home as she tells me what she did today. Apparently she has made a new friend - whose name she's mentioned, yet I can't remember - and came first at a race during gym. I smile down at her; it really feels good when you have a little sister you know you can be really happy for. She gets really happy and asks me, "Do you want to race home?"

My eyebrow lifts as we come to a halt. I look left and right, in case somebody was looking. Good thing everyone doesn't really go to the Seam and most have already gone home. Besides, I can already see our house. But I shake my head.

"No. You might get hurt." I say, walking off.

I know she's pouting. I hate it when she pouts. It's just…difficult to say no to her sometimes. But I'm glad I did, just because she's still pretty small and might bump into a miner and get a scratch on her skin and-

"I'd really appreciate if you'd be my _sister _for once," I hear her mumble, cutting me off from my odd thoughts.

I stop in my tracks. I don't want to say anything, because I know what she means. Gale used to tease me about being all 'mother-mode' when it comes to letting Prim do what she wants to do. I didn't really like what he said, so I countered with an insult about being a 'daddy' to his brothers and his little sister. I don't think he liked it either, but I was glad it shut him up though I felt a little bad because of the certain incident. I was about to take it back but I guess he was too angry to even talk to me.

But now, looking down at my sister, I know I can't do the same thing to her.

"Hey, I only do it because-" I start to say, before getting cut off.

She nods. "I know. I know why. It's just…" she stops herself for a moment. "It's just that sometimes you get _a little _carried away, like I'm a baby. And I don't think I'm a baby."

I listen to her, repeating her words again and again in my head. I sigh since it's true. She's eleven, almost twelve. I'd forgotten she's getting a little bigger even though she's smaller than the other kids her age who lives in town. I look in her blue eyes.

"Primrose Everdeen, I promise I'll lighten up a little on you."

She smiles and holds out her pinkie, and I wrap mine around hers.

* * *

_A/N: Another different one. I just had to, because I watched Lilo & Stitch the other day._


	17. The Flaws of a Little Kid

**The Flaws of a Little Kid**

Prim and I head to the Hawthorne's after Gale and I go hunting. I had promised Prim we'd go, since she and I are apparently 'welcomed' to come 'anytime'. Hazelle had also insisted, as Gale had told me. I sigh and brush a loose strand of my wet hair behind my ear, squeezing Prim's small hand gently.

When we reach the front, Hazelle already spots us through the window. She gives us a smile and I do my best to return it. Prim, I'm sure, smiles genuinely back. She opens the door and hurries us in. "Come in here, you must be freezing," she says, ushering us in the home. I'll admit I was pretty cold, since it's raining pretty hard and I gave my coat to Prim for an extra layer of warmth.

Hazelle tells us to sit as she makes us tea, and we do. I glance over at my sister, whose teeth are still chattering together. I start to regret bringing her along, but just then, Rory comes running in followed by Gale. Prim's teeth stop chattering at the sight of Rory, and she smiles at him. He smiles back.

"Hey Prim!" Rory says happily. "Wait until you see what I found outside."

I start to notice that his and Gale's hair are damp, hinting that they must've gone outside in the rain as well.

Prim's smile widens and she hops off her seat, removing the two wet coats off her dry clothes underneath and handing them to me. Gale and I both smile as we see the two run off to somewhere where I guess is Rory's 'thing he found outside'. Gale takes the seat that Prim once had.

"Wait till _you _see what Rory found outside, Catnip," he says, almost as if he's hiding something. A smirk draws across his lips.

I raise an eyebrow. "Why? What is it, anyway?" I question curiously.

"You'll see in five, four, three, two…" He mouths the word 'one' just when I hear a terrified scream coming from the direction Prim and Rory had ran off.

My head jerks to that direction. I hear Prim screaming, "Ew! Rory, get it away! Get it away!" she screeches.

Just then, she runs back to me, her hands covering her red ears. My arms go around her figure, clutching her close. Her eyes quickly shut tight as Rory comes back as well, his hands open, laughing harder than I've ever seen him. I try to look at the slowly-squirming thing in his hands.

An earthworm.

* * *

_A/N: If you're wondering, I shortened the title and changed the summary. _


	18. Boots

**Boots**

Once I wake, I slowly and carefully peel the covers off of me and tuck it back closer to my sleeping sister. I silently get dressed and braid my dark hair down my back, then reach over to the side of the bed to grab my boots.

But instead I clutch the cool air.

A confused look draws across my face as I look over, expecting to find my two leather hunting boots. I stand up and search around the dimmed room. I find myself looking everywhere; underneath mine and Prim's bed, by and underneath our mom's bed, behind the dresser. Everywhere.

I start to question myself. Didn't I leave it by our bed after I came back yesterday? Or did I leave them somewhere else? My eyes narrow as I jump down the rickety stairs to check if I've left the boots by the front door. I can't go hunting without them, considering it rained last night and I can't just go in my mom's old flats. My hands go up to my forehead as I try to remember where l left them.

I start to curse under my breath, hoping that the silence in the house won't be enough to wake Prim or mom.

Sadly, though, I do.

Prim sleepily comes down the stairs, rubbing her eye and yawning.

I turn to her. "Hey, did I wake you?"

She nods as she yawns. "Something like that…" she says, her soft tone obviously telling me that she's tired. She stretches and then eyes me. Her eyes start to look like the usual bright, happy, blue orbs again. Instead this time it's mixed with curiosity. "Are you looking for your boots?" she asks, planting her hands on her waist.

And then curiosity sets in to me. "Yeah… Why? Have you seen them?"

An amused grin starts to draw on her lips. Like an almost-laugh. "No. But I think I know who has," she says, staring at something behind me.

I turn around. My eyes widen at what I see. I quickly run over to Buttercup, who's apparently gnawing on the laces of my boots. Prim follows behind me and tries to pry the buttercup-furred monster away from the boots.

"Buttercup, release!" she tries to order.

"Yes, you stupid cat! Release!" I snap through my clenched teeth.

Prim gives me a look, but I ignore it because finally, I've gotten the boots out of the cat's reach.

Buttercup hisses at me as I try to put the laces back through the hoops. "Why was he eating them? Don't only dogs do that?" she asks, gently petting the cat to make it shut up. Or to her, 'relaxing his accidental attitude'. Either way, it's working.

I sigh and wipe my forehead with the back of my palm. "Prim, he wasn't eating them. They smelled like entrails, so I guess that's why."

She giggles. "They also smell like your feet."

I give her a look, but I can't help but laugh, too.

* * *

_A/N: Happy Halloween, guys._


	19. Smitten

_A/N: Based on a prompt from __Innocent Primrose Everdeen__. I changed my pen name, in case you think some evil person took my story. Or not. I just had to tell you._

* * *

**Smitten**

Prim and I head home after visiting the Hawthorne's. My grip on her small hand loosens each time she tries to jump over a puddle, but each time it happens I tighten it gently. She's jumpy and happy, which I'm thankful for. Especially since it's only been nearly a year since our dad had died.

We reach home a minute after. I tell her to take off her muddy rain boots my dad and I had traded a whole deer and a squirrel for at the Hob. I just shake the thought away, not wanting to think of him before I break down on my knees with my hands over my face like I had been when I found out he had passed.

When I do shake it away, I realize that Prim has been speaking to me.

"…then Rory kicked the rock and it nearly hit the Peacekeeper! Imagine how much trouble he would be in, Katniss!" is what I hear afterwards. She stares at me with her huge, frantic yet happy looking blue eyes.

Before I can reply, she cuts me off by starting to talk again. Again, I don't really pay much attention as I place the leftovers that Gale's mom gave us on the table. I leave it for mom, because I'm sure Prim and I have eaten enough.

"Katniss!" my eight-year-old sister calls from behind me, returning my attention back to her.

"Yeah?" I question stupidly.

She frowns slightly and huffs. "I asked you if we could visit Rory again tomorrow…" she says - or, repeats - as she looks down at her feet.

I furrow my eyebrows together, because I don't exactly know how to answer. Especially since we have school and I'd promised Gale we'd meet up in the forest after. But then again, Prim has never asked me something like this before. And then, I start to get it. Even though I wasn't exactly listening properly, I _have _heard her repeat over and over again, 'Rory this' and 'Rory that'.

"Aw, Prim. Do you like Rory?" I ask, walking closer towards her, a teasing smile growing across my face.

Her head jerks up, her blonde braids jumping with her head. "No!" she quickly objects, practically hopping. Her face turns a bright colour of red, and I can tell her ears are burning up because she's covering them with her palms.

I crouch down so that we're face to face. "I don't believe you," I say, my grin growing larger and larger.

Her lips are pressing together now, and she looks like she's holding her breath, because her raindrop-like face is turning redder than I've ever seen them. Her hands go back to her sides. "Yes…" she mumbles, as if tired of hearing my teasing tone. I can't help but laugh. Little kid crushes are kind of odd to me, especially since I've never had one.

Prim frowns at me again in reply to my chuckle.

"It's okay, Prim. It's not necessarily a bad thing." And then I think about the world we live in, until she catches my attention again.

"Yes it is!" she shouts. "Rory said he doesn't like girls! He said that he thinks they're 'weird'!"

I raise my eyebrows. By a fact I know that's going to grow out, because when I was eight, I've seen girls my age with the exact same problems. But by the time they turned ten, the boys would grow out of it a bit. And so, I say, "It's okay, Prim. He'll grow out of it eventually."

I think this works, because her face relaxes into her usual and signature Primrose Everdeen smile. "And then we'll live happily ever after?" she asks, quoting a story she'd read at school. She kept telling me about the story every single day.

As ridiculous it sounds, especially in where we live, I still nod. For an eight-year-old's sake.


	20. The Valley Song

**The Valley Song**

The summer day I'm having isn't as sunny or bright as you might think. I look up at the graying skies, waiting for the rain to start. The sky's been like this the whole day. It was grey and cloudy, yet it wasn't raining. I look around me; left and right, but still, there are no signs of my family's dinner. Perhaps they're hiding from what's never coming.

I sigh, walking over to a pond where I hope to at least catch one fish. At least.

Luckily I do. I catch three fish, and I start to head back. I start to consider heading to the Hob for a good trade, but like what I've been waiting for, a raindrop hits and streams down my right cheek and immediately, I run home.

I burst through the front door, expecting to find both my mother and Prim sitting at the table. Instead, I just find one of them.

As I slip off my luckily-almost-dry leather jacket, I ask, "Where's mom?", even though I know the answer.

Prim fiddles with the end of her nightgown. "She's still in bed." she replies nonchalantly, because it isn't her first time saying this.

My mouth hangs agape, both that's only because I have a small cold. I only nod, because it would be hopeless if I forced mom out. Today is the day of their wedding anniversary. My mother's and father's, that is. Normally, before he had died, we would have a bigger dinner than all our others with music from the voices of my father and me. It was nothing _too_ fancy, obviously, but it was Prim's favourite day of the year.

When I get my boots off, I'm already cooking the fish. I'm not as good at cooking as my mother, but I can tell Prim is hungry. I can hear her stomach grumble. So every five seconds, I glance over my shoulder at her. She's silent, but not too silent. She holds Buttercup in her arms, brushing her porcelain hand against his muddy fur, gently rocking back and forth, as if she's listening to a lullaby in her head. I assume so, because her blue eyes are shielded by her eyelids and I hear her soft humming.

"What're you humming to, little duck?" I ask eventually, because the sound of the fish cooking is drowning out the tune of her song.

Her eyelids snap open, like she's waking up from a daydream. I start to think maybe she _was_ daydreaming. "Nothing," she answers before going back to petting Buttercup.

I purse my lips, but I continue what I'm doing until I'm done. I hand Prim her plate and take my seat across from her at our small table. Buttercup squirms from her arms and jumps off, running to the other side of our house. Prim eats her food immediately, not even bothering to pick at it. I'm glad she doesn't.

Once we're both finished with our food, I leave the rest for mom and I look at my sister in the eye again. "Hum that song again," I whisper loud enough for her to hear.

She looks at me confusedly, until she realizes what I mean. So she smiles and begins the song, not in a hum, but with 'la, la' in melody. She doesn't sing it, so I start to wonder why. _Maybe she's forgotten the lyrics_, I tell myself. So I convince myself that she's forgotten the lyrics.

I start to recognize the tune. It's something I haven't sung in a while, I can tell. It's familiar to me. I know it is. And then, I know it. The Valley Song, a song my father had taught me and sang to me as a child, is what she's humming. Before I know it, I'm singing the lyrics.

"_Down in the valley so low,_

_Hang your head to hear the wind blow._

_Sing with me this song as we go,_

_Don't let go of my hand because I'll show you the wonders of the valley ahead._"

My tone sounds scratchy and rough due to the cold, but I'm glad I've started singing, because Prim starts to join along in the song.

"_Down in the valley so bright,_

_Don't shield your eyes from the very bright light._

_Sing with me this song as we go,_

_Don't let go of my hand because I'll show you the wonders of the valley ahead._"

I can tell she's happy at the sight of me singing again, especially since I haven't done it in a while since our dad had died. But this song is a whole different genre, because it's different than the others he had taught me. Because this was the first. Out of Mountain Air, this, and the Hanging tree, this was the first song he had taught me, though it was Mountain Air that he had first sung to me.

And so, before she and I drift off to sleep, I decide to sing her Mountain Air. She doesn't ask, nor did she even look like she's about to. I just feel like it's right.


End file.
